


Precious Friends

by Bookman230



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2013-11-26
Packaged: 2017-12-15 07:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookman230/pseuds/Bookman230
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sea is a powerful thing, unstoppable and untameable. It can go from being all you live for to the most powerful destructive force imaginable, eating away at the stone and tearing down walls noone ever believed could be breached. The sea brings life, and hope, and sometimes laughter. Sayaka is Kyoko's sea, and though she knows the day may come that she drowns, there are a thousand moments that remind her why she wouldn't trade Sayaka for the world. These are some of them.</p>
<p>A flame is a powerful thing, wild and passionate. It can go from being a whirlwind of destruction to the harbinger of life, burning away the old and the deadweight  so that the new, greener, happier things can grow. Fire gives everything it has to you with no reservations, and almost needs you to be a part of it. It brings wonder, and passion, and sometimes laughter. Kyoko is Sayaka's fire, and though she knows the day may come that she burns up, there are a thousand moments that remind her why she wouldn't trade Kyoko for the world. These are some of them.</p>
<p>A oneshot collection of Kyousaya.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lovey Dovey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko Sakura is _not_ into the lovey dovey stuff, no matter what _she_ tells you.

Kyoko was the toughest punk you'd ever meet. Thanks to the turns her life had taken, her heart had hardened and become stone – and she sure as  _hell_  wasn't going to let it be polished into a diamond. She wasn't into that touchy feely, wishy washy, lovey dovey junk. She didn't need friends, and she sure as hell wasn't into any of that mushy holding hands, or staring deep into each others eyes crap.

Well, she  _used_  to not be into that crap. But everything kinda changed when she was actually in lo- er, dating, all of a sudden. When that stupid, infuriating, naive, idealistic, stubborn, strong, kind, wonderfully _annoying_  bluenette'd waltzed into her life, out of the blue -no pun intended – Kyoko'd realized that maybe some part of her actually  _wanted_ that stuff. And that drove her  _nuts_.

Come  _on_ _–_ if she had to be attracted to little miss justice, why couldn't it have just been a physical thing? If it'd just been thinking about the tightass in bed, wanting to have her as a lay,  _that_  would've fit her image. But even if she had had some of  _those_ fantasies – which she wasn't saying she had – they'd never been nearly as abundant as the stupid, cheesy romantic ones. If she'd had them, that was.

It was stupid, pointless, weak, pathetic, and really just plain sad. But Kyoko Sakura, selfish, heartless Kyoko who'd always been as tough as nails with a wit to match, loved holding hands with Sayaka Miki. The way their hands intertwined, fingers clasping each other in what felt like a silent promise. 'Hey,' it seemed to say, 'Others might leave you, might not want you, might not have time for you. But not me. I want you. I want you close, and I need you here with me. I'll  _never_ leave you.'

And then there was that look.  _The_ look, that they'd sometimes share. A look of thanks, of appreciation, of lo-  _adoration_  that made Kyoko's face turn redder than her hair and made her look away every damn time. And that infuriating  _ass_ would just  _smile_ at her, all amused and lovi-  _like_ ily – which was totally a word – and put her head on Kyoko's shoulder, even when they both knew full well that … that...

Kyoko didn't deserve it. She didn't  _deserve_  the hand holding, or the promises, or that gorgeous smile. Not after her family, and Mami, and all the other countless things she'd screwed up. The wonderful things she'd destroyed over and over and over again. Sometimes, she talked to Sayaka about it. Sometimes. Sayaka always disagreed, of course. She held Kyoko close and called her all the cheesiest things she could think of, like the 'ray of light that saved me from the darkness' or 'the kindest person I've ever known' or 'idiot, you're lucky you're you – if anyone else else was saying this stuff about my girlfriend, I'd lay them out'. But of course Sayaka said that – she was too nice  _not_ to. Still, she always managed to make Kyoko laugh. Or cry. Either way, it always left her feeling just the tiniest bit better. And after every talk, Sayaka would grab her hand just a bit tighter, look at her just a little longer, smile just a little brighter. Like she was trying to convince Kyoko that she  _did_ deserve her after all.

Well, she'd convinced Kyoko to believe in justice again. She'd given her something to fight for, and convinced her that all that lovey dovey wishy washy stuff was just her style – and kinda awesome – after all. Sometimes, just sometimes, Kyoko didn't think she'd be surprised if Sayaka convinced her that she deserved her too. Because if their time together had taught her anything at all, it was that you couldn't count Sayaka Miki out for a second. Because Sayaka was annoying. Infuriating. Naive and idealistic. Strong, kind, wonderful, beautiful and above all else  _stubborn._ And Kyoko lov- like-respected...

Ah, fuck it. The street rat had never been one to shy away the truth. And the truth was, Kyoko loved Sayaka for all that, and more. And maybe... maybe it was time she told Sayaka that. Neither of them had said those three words yet, and even if Sayaka was better than her at pretty much everything else, she'd be damned if she'd let Sayaka Miki beat her to it.

She had a reputation to uphold, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is. The first in these Kyousaya feeling spews I call my oneshot collection. Just gonna lay down a few things. First, these do not necessarily all take place in the same universe as the show, or with each other; when they don't, I'll specify that. Second, I don't own PMMM and yadda yadda yadda. Third, some of these have been inspired by the 30 Day OTP Challenge. I will specify when that is the case as well. For this story, it was Day One: Hand holding. Fourth, thanks to my editor and dear friend Professor_Piggy for editing. Without his hand, these stories are not half as good. And fifth, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!


	2. Knight and Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being the knight and being the princess isn’t mutually exclusive.

When she couldn't sleep, Sayaka was forced to think. It was a bad habit she'd never been able to crack, and on that particular restless night, Sayaka was thinking about love. She'd always figured that when she fell in love, she'd be the knight in shining armor, and her love the dainty, beautiful noble. Of course, she had also always figured that her love would be a  _boy_ , and the person snoring next to her was most assuredly  _not_  a boy. That alone probably said something about her talent for predictions. Still, Sayaka had always thought that she'd be the strong one, the one who'd be leaned on, the protector. That was what she'd expected it to be like with Kyouske – he had always been the more sensitive, artistic, less physical type even before his accident. Sayaka had been his rock, not the other way around.

If Sayaka had ever thought to admit that she liked girls too, she probably would've said her type was softer, more feminine – like Madoka. Sayaka'd always been there to protect Madoka - always there to ward off bullies, to listen, to offer Madoka a shoulder to cry on. And Madoka was always there to keep Sayaka from getting into too much trouble. To offer her a smile, and make her feel loved. Madoka would be the princess, and Sayaka her knight. That was what Sayaka had expected love to be like. But life'd always had a way of proving Sayaka wrong. Again and again and again.

Because her love wasn't demure or shy; she'd punch out anyone who messed with her or even thought about messing with Sayaka, and even with people she knew she wasn't that good about personal space. And she snored like a buzzsaw, too. Her love wasn't formal, wasn't classy - she chewed with her mouth open  _way_ too often, didn't see the point of societal conventions, and snored. Seriously, some nights she snored so loud Sayaka was surprised the sound hadn't driven her into insanity and despair. And she was strong, too. Sure as  _hell_  was she strong. When Sayaka thought of all the things her girlfriend had been through without giving up, she couldn't help but proud of her. So proud of her she didn't know what to do about it.

Because her girlfriend was none other than Sakura Kyoko, gritty street punk Magical Girl and self proclaimed total badass. And most of the time, Kyoko was  _Sayaka's_  knight. When she had almost lost herself to despair, convinced herself she was worthless, unneeded, unlovable, Kyoko had been there to drag her back from the brink. When she made rookie mistakes in the field, Kyoko would save her ass and teach her how to avoid making the same mistake again. Whenever she felt useless or pathetic, Kyoko was there to hold her, to reassure her. No matter how mean Sayaka was, how annoying she got or how much she whined, Kyoko stayed. Sayaka wished she could repay that somehow, be Kyoko's lifeline for a change, be-

The snoring stopped. Which, despite being a mercy to her ears, was not a good sign. Sayaka focused, listening closely for any noise. Sure enough, she could hear the shuffling. Then came the soft, scared murmurs and the crying. Kyoko was having a nightmare.

"Dad... Mami... Momo... I'm sorry! Don't go!" Kyoko sobbed, eyes snapping open. Sayaka turned and snuggled close to Kyoko, wrapping her in a gentle embrace.

"Shhhh, it's okay," she soothed.

"Sayaka..."

"I'm here."

"Don't leave me..."

"Never, Kyoko. I'm right here, always. It's okay." Kyoko whimpered, her body still shaking, and Sayaka held her closer. She knew that leaving Kyoko was unthinkable – the hard part trying to convey that feeling to Kyoko. "I'm here. The sun'll explode before I leave. Kyubey will  _frown_ before I leave. Heck, Madoka might even beat you at DDR before I leave you!" There was a small, choked laugh from Kyoko, and Sayaka smiled, just a little. "I'm here, ok?"

"Thank you..."

"Always."

Maybe... maybe Sayaka didn't always  _have_ to be either the knight  _or_  the princess. Maybe being in love was just about being there when the one you loved needed you and having someone to lean on when you needed them. So maybe, even if the only time she could really be there for Kyoko was on nights like these, nights she prayed would never come again... maybe that was good enough.

"God, I need you."

"I need you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Day 2 of the OTP Challenge: Cuddling. Thanks to my editor, Professor_Piggy.


	3. A Tale of Souls and Swords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tale of souls and swords gets heated.

"SOUL CALIBUR FOUR! A TALE OF SOULS AND SWORDS – or however the fuck that spiel goes."

"Transcending history, and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eterna-"

"Yeah, yeah, thank ya. Nerd."

"A nerd is someone who reads too many books and memorizes entire pages. Someone who plays too many  _video games_  and memorizes dialogue from  _those_  is a hardcore, cool gamer."

"Neeeerrrdddd."

"You're just jealous cause I have more gamer cred than you."

"You'll see my gamer cred when I beat ya down, Sayaka."

"Yeah,  _that's_  what's going to go down."

"It's already happened in real life, if I remember right."

"...Low blow, Kyoko."

"All's fair in love and war - and unfortunately for you, this is a war, and I love ya."

"Yeah well, love hurts. As me and my man Yun-Seong are gonna show you!"

"A young naive hothead who rushes into danger without thinking despite the warnings of a more experienced warrior with a spear? Sounds about right."

"...Shut up."

"Damn, Sayaka, sick burn there. Now let's see how ya do against me and my gal!"

"..."

"What's with the look?"

"Ivy Valentine. Really."

"Her sword's flexibility reminds me of my spear!"

"Suuuureee. You just like the eye candy."

"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement."

"Typical."

"Hey, my girlfriend does not get to complain about eye candy when every time we go out to fight you parade in that cleavage-filled outfit!"

"I-It's not that much cleavage!"

"It is for me, Saya."

"... Was that supposed to be romantic or touching or something?"

"It totally worked too. Admit it, you're touched!"

"...Shut up and prepare to die."

"One round. Cause in real life there are no second chances."

"And no time limit."

"That's my girl. Alright, here we go!"

"You're going down, Kyoko!"

"Ooooh, you just charged into that hit, Sayaka!"

"Come on, come on-"

"And bam! Combo! Geeze, Sayaka, maybe you should just stay down?"

"Shut up."

"I mean, honestly, I'm beating you so hard right now I'm getting flashbacks to when we first met."

"DANG IT!"

"Bow to the queen, baby! You know, Sayaka, you were beaten down so easily I kinda have to wonder if you lost and let yourself get whipped on purpose. Didn't know you were into that kind of thing, and I know I'm no Ivy, but if you wanna bring this into the real world..."

"You're such a pig."

"And yet you choose to date me. What does that say about you?"

"That I am a kind and pitying soul."

"Ouch. I was considering going easy on you next match, but after that you get no mercy."

"Good, cause I don't need any. In fact,  _you're_  gonna be the one begging for mercy after I squash you with Siegfried!"

"You like big swords, eh?"

"...Does everything have to be dirty with you?"

"Only when it's funny."

"Just choose your next fighter already."

"If you insist."

"Ugh, no!"

"What?"

"Not Angol Fear! I have had enough of stuffy aliens who think they have the right to judge us."

"Haven't we all? But that emotional aspect will keep you off-guard, making sure my victory is in the bag!"

"How do you know I won't just harvest those emotions and use them to drive me on?"

"Because you're the Light Side type, keeping all your emotions corked up because you're stuffy. I'm the badass Dark Side one, using my anger to destroy all before me!"

"Doesn't the Light Side always win in Star Wars?"

"...Shut up and prepare to die."

"Ooooh, sick burn there, Kyoko."

"Prepare to get that smile wiped off your face, Sayaka!"

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over my giant sword swinging around."

"...You make it too easy, Sayaka."

"Shut up! You're just snippy cause you're loooosinnnnnng."

"It's not over yet!"

"You're right.  _Now_  it's over!"

"You just got lucky!"

"Don't be a sore loser, Kyoko."

"Alright, one more match! The tiebreaker!"

"If you want to lose again so badly, I can't stop you."

"No way you're gonna beat me this time!"

"Cervantes huh? Nice. Cause you're about to get your  _booty_ kicked!"

"..."

"..."

"Wow."

"Shut up, I'm  _hilarious_."

"Just choose, already."

"Taki's my girl. Ninja vs Pirate. The classic matchup."

"Let's do this."

"Prepare yourself, Kyoko."

"COME WITH ME TO HELLLLLLLL."

"What was that!?"

"Come on, don't tell me you've never impersonated these overdramatic guys."

"I don't do it around company, and I don't do it that loud!"

"That is why you fail."

"Wha-"

"HAVE AT THEE!"

"Hey, no fair!"

"All's fair in love and- hey, no fair!"

"You can't touch this ninja!"

"Tell that to my gun!"

"Alright, Kyoko. You have put up a good fight. You should be proud. But it ends here! Let's finish this!"

"That's my line! Take this!"

"..."

"..."

" **A DRAW!?** "

"Those are fucking possible!?"

"...Kyoko?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I the only feeling a bit..."

"...No."

"...Wanna make out?"

"You always know just what to say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Day 3 of 30 Day OTP Challenge: Playing Video Games. Thanks to my editor Professor_Piggy, as always.


	4. Fire and Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The love of the sea and the love of the fire are sights to behold.

Kyoko's kisses are like a fire, passionate and all consuming. Her lips whip out at Sayaka, intent on engulfing her, igniting her; Kyoko won't be satisfied until every last part of her is aflame. She clutches at Sayaka as though she needs her to keep burning, like if she lets go she'll be extinguished. Kyoko is never satisfied with just a taste of Sayaka; she wants all of her, and she goes after it with a mindless determination and everything she has. Sayaka never feels safer, or more needed, than she does in those moments. And as she catches glances of Kyoko, sees the fire burning in her, she can't help but think that it's one of the most beautiful things she's ever seen.

But fires die down, dwindle from flames to embers, and Kyoko is no exception – as time marches on Kyoko slows down. She wavers back and forth, like a flame guttering in the wind, bright and mesmerizing and just as beautiful as the inferno it had been. Kyoko's fire has died down to a flash; it no longer spreads like wildfire, throwing sparks wherever it touches. It is content with where it is, settled lovingly where it belongs – in her arms. Her kisses are more fleeting, the flames dart out more sparingly, but they are tender and warm and every bit as beautiful as before. If Kyoko's burning hunger made her feel safe, needed, it is in this moment and thousand like it that she feels truly loved and trusted – few had ever been blessed with the opportunity to see a force of nature with nothing more to burn, nothing more to prove, and she would never forget it.

Sayaka loves her. She loves her more than she has loved anything before. Kyoko is the one who reignited her flame and made it burn brighter and more fervently than ever before. And with every kiss, every spark they share, she swears again that there's nothing she won't do to keep their love burning.

* * *

Sayaka's kisses are like the sea. Most days they're calm, gentle – almost shy. Her lips sway back and forth into Kyoko in waves, lingering for just an instant but stealing everything else away. For a heartbeat, she knows nothing but Sayaka. And then it's over almost before it began. They remind Kyoko of Sayaka herself – patient, and content with where she is and the idiot with her. Because if Sayaka is the ocean, Kyoko is the fish – she needs her, so that she can move and breath and feel more alive than she has in a long time.

Sometimes she needs her desperately, wants to fall to her knees and beg Sayaka to give her more, like she's a fish gasping for air. But mostly, when Sayaka looks upon her and smiles and just blesses Kyoko with her presence... Kyoko is happy. Fulfilled, with the ocean around her like the sponges on a reef. Then thinking about sponges makes her think about sea cucumbers, and sea cucumbers makes her think about real cucumbers, and that leads to other food, and- Sayaka snaps her fingers, or exclaims her name, and Kyoko sheepishly smiles. Sayaka just rolls her eyes as she smiles back, pretending not to think it's funny, and both her eyes and smile are filled with so much love. Kyoko thinks it's one of the most beautiful things she's seen. She wonders, not for the first time, why she's been blessed with Sayaka, when all she's ever done is hurt the ones she loves the most.

Those moments Sayaka picks up on her feelings, and like the sea when the moon rises she picks up energy. The tide crashes into Kyoko, unrelenting and passionate. Because to her, Sayaka's kisses whisper wordlessly, Kyoko is like the moon, beautiful and irresistible, pulling Sayaka into her. She cannot be stopped – she is intent on covering every inch of Kyoko, of chasing away all other thoughts leaving Kyoko breathless and begging for more. She pulls back only to find a new spot, then rushes into her like a wave, stronger and more passionate each time. The kisses are more primal, the waves frequent and powerful. But they are filled with fervor, a desire, and it is just as beautiful as before. In these moments Kyoko feels needed, and wanted, and believes that so long as the moon stays, so will the sea. For the sea needs and wants her too, and it's through her that it can unleash the energy, forgo the weights, and just  _be._ It's through her that Sayaka can be the force of nature Kyoko showed her to be.

Kyoko loves her. More than anything she has loved before. She's the one who calmed Kyoko's soul, eroded her cynicism and dragged her hope back to the surface. She's the one that allows Kyoko to crash against the cruel world again and again without breaking, fills her with more strength and passion than ever before. Kyoko resolves again and again that as Sayaka's moon, she will pull her love alongside her and never, ever stop. Not until Sayaka finds the happiness she deserves.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by 30 Day OTP Challenge Day 5: Kissing. Much gratitude to my editor, Professor_Piggy.


	5. Homework

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s homework to be done. Kyoko is not helping.

_Come on Sayaka, you have this. Focus... carry over the two... no, that's wrong! Come on, stupid, this isn't that difficult! Just-_

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

Sayaka nearly leaped out of her chair, almost knocking her laptop across the room. Bristling with irritation, she sighed and pushed her work glasses up as she realized the knocks – still going and louder than church bells - could only belong to one person. She made her way to the door and, when she opened it, her suspicions were confirmed as she found herself face to face with a redhead wearing a wolfish grin.

"Sayaka! Let's hang out!"

"Kyoko!" Sayaka replied, imitating Kyoko's excited nature, "No!"

She began to shut the door, but was completely unsurprised when Kyoko pushed her way in anyway.

"Ah, c'mon! Why not?"

"Because it's the last day of the weekend, I have homework to do and tests to study for, and I've put all of it off 'til the last minute!"

"Pff. Homework. Who cares? Oh!" Kyoko's eyes widened in realization as she remembered something. She dropped her backpack, flipped it open, and pulled out some papers. "I need you to do my homework."

Sayaka leveled a flat stare at Kyoko. "First off, no. I'll  _help_ you, though you'd be better off asking Mami or Hitomi, but I'm  _not_  doing your homework for you. And second, you don't see the hypocrisy in what you said? At all?"

"Hypocrisy? Yikes, you're using egghead words! I have come not a moment too soon!"  _Way to dodge the question, Kyoko._

"Kyoko, I really need to do this-"

"Sayaka, you're young! You're free! You  _need_ to live a little, to go outside! Don't let your life pass you by! I'm the good guy here! I'm the fun, cool gal getting the workaholic, nerd with the stick up her ass to go outside and learn some important life lesson or something! C'mon, Sayaka – haven't ya ever seen a high school romance flick before?"

Sayaka snorted despite herself. "Please. You're more like the bad guy from some after school special about peer pressure." Kyoko let out a perfectly normal, happy laugh at that. At first. But as she laughed her eyes lost some of their gleam, and the edges of her mouth fell just a little. Sayaka couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this as she tried to think of what she'd said wrong - until she finally made the connection.

 _Her church. Dammit, Sayaka! Idiot! Could you think before you speak, just once?_  Well, that settled it – there was really only one way to start making it up to Kyoko. She let out a mock sigh. "Fine. We can go out, but  _just for_ _an hour_ _or so_ ," she added at the sight of Kyoko's  _real,_ delighted grin. The one that always put a smile on Sayaka's face and made everything worth it.

"Alright, alright! Let's go, let's go! And leave your glasses here. Ya nerd."

"I only use them when I'm working!" Sayaka shot back with a smile. She had a good feeling about this. She was getting pretty stressed out anyway. And they weren't going to stay out too long. Right?

* * *

Kyoko practically kicked Sayaka's door down as the two marched back into her house. "That... was a pretty awesome day," Sayaka admitted.

"The days are  _always_ awesome when ya hang out with me, babe."

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Babe? Really?"

Kyoko just shot her a cheeky grin, and Sayaka shook her head in amusement. "What time is it, anyway?" She asked, turning to look at the clock. She felt her blood run cold.

" _That late!?_ " she exclaimed.

"What, ya didn't notice the sky? Dark usually means night, ya know."

"I just thought it was getting dark early! Dang it! Now I'm gonna have to pull an all-nighter!"

Kyoko shrugged. "Fine. So I'll stay up too."

"Kyoko, you don't have to-"

"I  _do_ have to. It's my fault you were out so late, and you're my girl."

Sayaka couldn't help but offer a grateful smile, despite being completely flustered.

"Granted," Kyoko continued, "I'd like it a lot more if a certain  _other_ activity was keeping us up all night..."

The only answer that got her was a hit on the head and an "Idiot!" Sayaka sighed and shook her head at Kyoko's antics before turning to away.

"Come on. My room's upstairs. And  _no perverted comments please_!"

Kyoko shrugged as they made way to Sayaka's room. Sayaka opened the door, and – of course – Kyoko instantly gravitated to her game system.

"Oi! Do ya got DDR?"

"I do, but please. Try to keep it down while I work, ok?"

"Sayaka, you wound me. When am I  _not_  quiet?"

Sayaka glared at Kyoko for a moment, and then sighed.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

Dropping into the chair at her desk, Sayaka put her glasses on and got to work. Kyoko booted up DDR. And, for a while, Sayaka was getting a good amount of work done and even feeling confident in herself. Which meant, of course, that it wasn't too long after that that she got stuck.

 _It's not that hard, dummy! Hitomi would know what to do in a second! This always happens! Just-Just figure it out! UGH!_ She found her eyes wandering, as they always did when she was stuck – and suddenly, Sayaka was having a difficult time focusing. The music from the game was at a reasonable level. That wasn't the problem. The problem was Kyoko's... movements. She was bouncing around, as would be expected from a DDR game, and that was bad – or maybe good – enough. But she was also throwing in some... sensual moves. Moves that were definitely not necessary to get points. Move that were frankly just  _unfair_. Sayaka felt the blood rushing to her face and she  _knew._ She knew that Kyoko was doing it on purpose. She had to be. And now that Sayaka was looking, she was finding it very difficult to look away. Fortunately, after a few minutes of stari – of  _being distracted_ _–_ an idea popped into her head.

She pulled up her work playlist on her laptop and turned the music up loud, hoping it would throw Kyoko off tempo. It succeeded. Kind of. Or at least, Kyoko's moves got sloppier, if not less distracting. But then Kyoko stopped, and looked at Sayaka with an eyebrow raised. Sayaka raised an eyebrow right back, acting like she didn't know why Kyoko was looking at her like that. Kyoko shrugged, and prepared to change the mode.

_She wouldn't._

Kyoko shot Sayaka a grin and a wink as she switched to free mode.

_She would._

No longer constrained by the goal of earning points, Kyoko's dance became borderline pornographic – and Sayaka was hypnotized. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tear her eyes away. The night, and especially the dance, were definitely going to return in her dreams. But as much as she would never admit she wanted to, Sayaka couldn't just watch Kyoko all night – she had to study. She jumped up from her chair, standing straight as an arrow and certain that her face was redder than a beet, and stomped over to the game system. Without a word she pulled the plug, and stared at Kyoko.

Kyoko tilted her head, then shrugged. "So that's how you wanna play it? Okay."

In a flash she'd made her way to Sayaka's laptop.  _What-What is she doing?_  With a dramatic flair, she grinned at Sayaka and used a single finger to click on something. Sayaka felt dread and panic rising up in her chest and rushed over to her laptop. Only her background greeted her.

"You-you did  _not_ just close all of my work without saving, right?" Sayaka asked, in disbelief.

Kyoko shrugged. "So what if I did? You started it."

Comprehension dawned as she realized that that was  _exactly_ what Kyoko had done, and anger boiled up inside her. She clenched her fists, slamming a hand into the desk and startling Kyoko. "What is  _wrong_ with you?" Sayaka screamed. "You  _know_ how long that took me, and how hard it was, and you – you just  _delete it!?"_

"Sayaka -" Kyoko began. But Sayaka wasn't finished.

"You  _knew_ I was trying to get that done before tomorrow! You knew it  _mattered_ to me, and you just... didn't care? I get it! I get it, ok!? You don't care about homework or studying, but I  _do_! I need this, because I'm not like Mami or Hitomi or even  _you_ , ok? I don't just  _get_  things like you guys! I'm an idiot, a freaking idiot!"

Sayaka-" Kyoko tried again.

"And even with all that studying, no matter how hard I try, my grades are still  _nothing special!_  But hey, what else is new with Sayaka Miki? Mediocre is my middle name! I-"

" _Sayaka_!" Kyoko shouted, finally shocking Sayaka out of her rant. "It's... it's still there. I minimized it. I... it was just a stupid joke."

Sayaka blinked in confusion before turning to stare at the computer. There it was. "Oh," she said, eventually. And then she realized that her cheeks were wet - was she  _crying_? And god, yelling at Kyoko like that... Kyoko didn't deserve that. No matter what. She had to apologize, and so she finally broke the silence.

"Kyoko," she began, looking down, "I'm sorry. If... if you want to go home, I'm fine with tha-" She felt two arms embrace her, pulling her into a – very awkward – hug. Kyoko obviously hadn't given one in a while. But... it was a real hug. Sayaka could feel that Kyoko meant it.

"I'm sorry, Saya. And... and listen up. You can be an idiot, y'know, book-wise, and still be real smart. Like... people wise and life wise and street wise. And I think you're really smart in those ways. You're the cleverest person I know. I mean, nobody banters as well as you do."

Sayaka chuckled, weakly, and Kyoko smiled before releasing her from the hug far sooner than she would have liked. "I'll-I'll let you work. I'll be right on your bed if you need me."

Sayaka raised an eyebrow.

"For once, I did  _not_ mean it like that." Sayaka laughed as Kyoko went to lay down.

"Kyoko?" Sayaka asked after a second.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No prob. You're my girl, after all." A small smile formed on Sayaka's face, and she felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. With one last glance at her girl, she sat back down at her desk, and buckled down to work.

* * *

 _And... done!_  She hit the final number on her keyboard with a triumphant clack and leaned back into her chair, satisfied. She shot a glance at the clock and smiled. "Huh. Not even as late as I thought it would be."

"You're done?" Kyoko asked, eyes still closed and body unmoving – much to Sayaka's surprise..

"You're still awake?"

"Yeah," Kyoko answered, sitting up, "I told ya I had to stay up with ya, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you did." Sayaka walked over to her bed and dropped down next to Kyoko. They smiled at each other, before Kyoko suddenly leaned in and began to examine Sayaka's face. Her smile dropped.

"What?"

"Your glasses. Glasses ain't usually my thing, but they really work for you."

"Oh," Sayaka replied, facing away with a blush and moving a strand of hair off her face. "Thank you."

"But... you might look better with them off," Kyoko finished with a wink and a grin, not so subtly gesturing to Sayaka's clothes. This earned her another hit on the head.

"Idiot." Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Why does everything have to be sexual with you? Can't you say sweet, romantic things like, 'You have a beautiful heart,' and 'Your eyes are like the color of the sea after a storm,'?" And then Kyoko was clasping Sayaka's hand between her own, grip strong and sure. Sayaka turned to look at her and was met with a smoldering, serious gaze that took Sayaka's breath away. Kyoko's red eyes were aflame with passion, and Sayaka could feel them piercing her soul.

"Sayaka Miki. You are the most  _beautiful_  person I've ever known. You have a heart of iron, but at the same time it's open to so many people. You're so loyal and loving to the people you care about, and you won't let anyone, even them, talk badly about 'em, but... but you're so quick to call yourself the worst things, and it just makes me want to prove to you how lovable you are, how impossible it is to  _not_  love you. And your eyes... your eyes are bluer than the calmest sea, and they've got so much love and strength and hurt and beauty that I can't help but stare at them for as long as I can. You took in a selfish, mean, awful street rat, and showed her how to hope and to love again. And so, with all of my heart, with everything I am, I really,  _really..."_ Sayaka waited with bated breath, captivated by Kyoko's speech. Waiting for those two words...

"Want to take your clothes off."

**THWACK!**

" _Ow!_ "

" _Idiot!"_ Sayaka was sure that her face was burning so red that steam was coming out of it. God, when had she become such a Tsundere? She hadn't always been this way! Never again could she criticize Homura for her Moeness! She was such a hypocrite!

"Some people just can't take a compliment!" Kyoko joked, her perpetual grin at full force. Sayaka didn't retort. She just continued looking down at the ground, ruminating on something.

"Hey," Kyoko started, concerned, "you ok?"

"Kyoko," Sayaka looked up at her, a serious expression on her face, "Did you mean all that?"

Kyoko put on a smarmy grin. "Course I did, baby-"

Sayaka did not rise to the bait.

"Not that part," she stated, completely seriously. "The... other stuff. And the stuff you said after I exploded at you. That stuff. Did... did you mean all that?"

A light blush was forming on Kyoko's face, for once, as she looked away, uncharacteristically shyly. "Yeah," she answered quietly, "course I did."

Sayaka smiled lovingly, lifted Kyoko's chin up, and planted a light kiss on her lips. "I love you."

Kyoko stared in surprise for a moment. Then her whole face slowly turned a deep, satisfying red. "Y-yeahmetoo!" she sputtered out before jumping to her feet, standing straight up like a soldier at roll call. "Ireallyneed to usethebathroomberightback!" she babbled as she rushed out of the room.

"You can dish it out but you just can't take it, huh?" Sayaka shouted fondly as she left, before falling back onto her bed with a smile on her face.

 _When she gets back, I am_ so  _getting an 'I love you' out of her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my editor, Professor_Piggy, as always. In fact, this story arose from one of our chats together, and he came up with several plot points.


	6. The Knight and the Samurai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The knight and the samurai cross paths.

" _Heeeelllpppp!_ " the princess screeched from the tower, high above. The knight gripped her sword as she rushed to the rescue, rushing through the dark, evil, empty wasteland that was full of evil and darkness. Somewhere the evil witch lay in wait, and soon it would strike. She took a deep breath to calm her fears and doubts. When the witch struck, the battle was sure to be  _awesome._ And  _fun._ And  _grown up_. Not immature or stupid or-

No. She couldn't think like that. She was a knight. Knights were focused and confident, and they never, ever gave up. Anyone who thought differently was a big jerkface with stupid beautiful brown eyes! Not... not that the knight had  _noticed_ the eyes, of course. People just talked about them. Other people. The knight didn't notice them herself. She was too busy knighting and stuff.

"So you wish to save the princess?" the cool, calm voice of the evil witch thankfully cut in. The ner- _witch_ had gotten much better at this. She used to stutter all through the speeches, but now she had a nice evil feel about her. The knight supposed she'd just needed some experience.

…

The witch just  _needed some experience_? What was she  _thinking?_   What was she  _doing_?

"Yeah, I'm here to rescue the princess from your evil clutches-" He was right. He was always right. This was stupid, and immature, and... and she was being an idiot. Knights and witches and princesses... it was baby stuff. And he wouldn't hang out with a baby. "No, no! Let's just stop!"

* * *

Suddenly, they were out of the dark wasteland and back at an ordinary, innocent playground. An immature playground for babies,  _he_  called it.

"Sayaka?" Madoka called out from her perch atop the slide, "What's wrong?"

"Did-did I mess up again?" Homura timidly asked, "I thought I had it in control. I'm sorry!"

"No, no!" Sayaka quickly reassured her. "You were great, nerd! It's not you. It's...it's  _this_!" Sayaka wildly waved her arms around, and groaned in frustration when all she got in response was two curious head tilts. "It's-it's the playground and the pretending and all that!" Still they just stared at her, not getting it. "It's just... Don't you guys think it's a little... immature? I mean, we're fifth graders. We should be more... mature! " she finished lamely, and suddenly their eyes lit up.

"Is this about Kyouske and Hitomi not wanting to play anymore?" Madoka asked.

"N-no!" Sayaka denied quickly. "They just put the idea in my head, that's all! And I think they had a point."

"Ya do?" A strong, confident voice cut through their chatter, and they turned to find themselves faced with a stranger. Sayaka was awestruck by the person before her - the stranger was standing relaxed against a pole, arms crossed. She had amazing, long red hair that Sayaka really wanted to touch, and maybe pull a little. Her red eyes seemed to stare right into Sayaka's soul. And when the stranger grinned, showing a fanged tooth and giving off a fun, carefree aura, Sayaka got a funny feeling in her stomach. A feeling that usually only happened around Kyousk- that  _never_  happened. Sayaka  _really_ wanted to be this girl's friend. "If you ask me, I think they're real idiots. And someone who agrees with 'em can't be too much smarter." And just like that, the feeling of wanting to be this girl's friend was replaced by wanting to punch her in her face.

"Hey!" Madoka cut in. "They're our friends, and it's not nice to call people names!"

To her credit, the stranger did look a bit apologetic. "Sorry, sorry. Daddy always says I need to work on that. Okay, maybe  _they're_  not stupid, but what they're saying is." She turned back to staring at Sayaka. "Lemme ask you something. Do ya have fun on the playground?"

Sayaka considered lying to the new girl, but for some reason, she wanted to prove herself to this jerk. "Okay, I do. So what?"

"Do ya usually have a lot of fun with the knight game thing?"

Sayaka couldn't fight back a small smile as she remembered the fun times she had with this game. Homura tripping over and falling into the sandbox. Sliding down the slide as she chased after the evil witch. Saving the princess, and feeling like she was someone amazing, like a real knight, a hero of justice instead of just... Sayaka. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Then why let what others think of it get in the way? It doesn't matter what others think is mature or whatever. I mean, we're kids, ain't we? We should be havin' fun, not being 'mature' jerks. Sorry," she apologized before Madoka or Sayaka could get on her case, "not being surely cool, nice people with jerky  _ideas_." She moved closer and closer to Sayaka, until they were face to face. Being so close to those fiery eyes, being the brunt of her attention, made Sayaka's heart rattle in her chest. "If  _you_  have fun," she began, punctuating it with a slight poke to Sayaka's chest, "if it's important to you, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. You being happy matters  _way_  more than whatever junk they come up with. Ya got some cool friends to play with. That's more than some people got." She smiled a strange, sad smile, and Sayaka was filled with a sudden, strong desire to replace that smile with a  _real_  one. "Well," the stranger shrugged, "I said what I had to say." She stepped back from Sayaka, and Sayaka felt the strangest sense of disappointment. "Sorry to barge in on ya guys. I'll get outta your hair now," she indicated with a thumb pointing behind her before turning to walk away with her hands behind her head.

This random kid had just wandered over and helped Sayaka - she hadn't had to, but she had. And now she was just walking away. With her beautiful red hair, and amazing red eyes, and her kinda fun jerkiness. "Wait!" Sayaka called out to her, louder and more desperately than she intended. A blush crept across Sayaka's face as she tried to recover and play it smooth. "Do you wanna play with us?"

The stranger seemed to be surprised at this. "Do-do ya guys really wanna?" she asked, suddenly sounding so shy and so adorable that the feeling in Sayaka's stomach came back.

"Yeah, yeah! I mean, you're the reason I didn't become lame and stop. You deserve to play? Right guys?"

Madoka and Homura earnestly nodded. "You seem like a really nice person!" Madoka affirmed.

"And-and really cool too!" Homura put in.

The stranger's face turned a little red, and a huge, wide smile broke out on her face. Sayaka knew that no matter how it went, that smile would make it worth it. "Heh, if you guys insist..." she said, turning her face away and rubbing the back of her head, trying to play it cool.

Sayaka closed the distance between her and the stranger, wrapping her arm around the other girl's. "We  _do_  insist. You helped us out, now you're stuck with us. No escape!" She pulled Kyoko back to the group.

"Well, I mean, if you don't want to hang out with us..." Madoka began, entering what Sayaka often called puppy mode.

"No, I really wanna!"

"Good," Homura said, her tone cold and threatening. "Madoka wanted you to stay. You not staying would make her sad. Something I could not allow. If you had said no, I would've had to drag you into it forcefully. By any means necessary." As silence fell and they all turned to stare at Homura, a mortified blush rose to her face. "Was-was that not a funny joke?"

"Uh, it was hilarious- uh, you know what? Don't think I ever got your guys' names, or introduced myself. Name's Kyoko Sakura."

"I'm Madoka Kaname. Nice to meet you!"

"Homura Akemi. I-I hope we have fun together, Kyoko."

"And I'm Sayaka Miki, the immature, not much smarter than idiots girl!" Sayaka finished, shooting Kyoko a teasing grin.

"Well, as long as ya realize that," Kyoko retorted with a smirk. Sayaka wailed dramatically.

"Ouch! My new friend has wounded me with her cruel words! Here I thought she was cool, but all along she was a stupid face!"

"A stupid face?" Kyoko began, shoving her face closer to Sayaka's. "Better a stupid face than a stupid brain!"

"Oh yeah?" Sayaka asked, shoving her face closer still. "Than having both like you must be really bad!"

"At least I ain't got a stick up my butt!"

Homura politely coughed. "Are-are we going to play?"

Sayaka and Kyoko, their insult battle interrupted, seemed to finally realize their position. Their faces were so close to each other, and Sayaka was still holding Kyoko's arms. Blood rushed to her face as her eyes fell on Kyoko's lips, and the same thing seemed to happen to Kyoko. They quickly and awkwardly untangled their arms. "Y-yeah. Sorry. Got a little carried away," Sayaka admitted. "Alright!" she exclaimed, recouping. "Kyoko is gonna be with me! My newest knight buddy!"

"Psh," Kyoko uttered derisively, "A knight? Why I gotta be somethin' so lame?"

"... _What_ did you just say?"

"Knights are overrated. I wanna be a samurai!"

"Knights are like, a million times cooler than samurai! We wear more armour! Armour that's super cool!"

"That just slows ya down! Us samurai are so awesome we don't need as much armour! We just use our speed!"

"Guys," Madoka began futilely.

"Knights have chivalry and justice!"

"Ya mean stuck upness. Samurais have honor and loyalty and duty!"

"We have that too! And we're  _not_ stuck up! You just don't care about yourselves as much cause you know you aren't as cool!"

"Guyyyys," Madoka whined.

"Oh, really? Prove it!" Kyoko exclaimed, picking up a nearby stick and throwing it to Sayaka, then picking up another one and wielding it like a katana. "Knight versus Samurai. Right now!"

Sayaka grinned as she twirled her 'sword'. "You're on!"

She charged at Kyoko, and swung her weapon sword, intent on victory - only to find that Kyoko wasn't there, anymore. "Huh, you're actually pretty fast."

"Heh, thanks!" The other girl laughed as she hit Sayaka on the head, but it was cut short as Sayaka to let out a knightly, dignified yelp.

"Are you ok?" Kyoko asked, worried.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Sayaka answered, waving off her worry. "It didn't hurt much."

"Does a hard head count as armour?"

"You're gonna pay for that."

No!" Madoka exclaimed, surprising all of them. "You have failed! While you two were fighting, the witch finished her evil spell on the princess, turning her evil and allowing her to use evil magic! Fight this, 'heroes'! Fireball!" she shouted, shooting her hands out and making loud fwooshing noises.

"Move!" "Get down!" Sayaka and Kyoko shouted at the same time, narrowly dodging the fireball and its explosion by ducking for cover behind a nearby slide.

"Come on, Homura!" Madoka giggled happily. "Isn't the evil witch going to help?"

"O-oh. You looked like you have it handled. I don't want to intrude..."

"But you're my witch! You turned me into this! It's not as fun without you, Homura," she finished with a radiant smile.

Homura's whole face turned bright scarlet at the phrase ' _my_  witch', but she managed to stammer out an "I-if you insist" before taking a deep breath to help her get into character. "The knight and samurai will fall beneath us. Their foolish fighting has doomed them." As she spoke, she flipped her hair dramatically.

"It is so cool when you do that, Homura!" Madoka squeed.

:Madoka, it's-it's not that cool, is it?" Homura asked bashfully.

Sayaka turned to her ally. "Okay, they're gonna be distracted with that for a while, trust me."

"So what's the plan then?"

"Ambush. I'm gonna need your samurai speed to take out Madoka quickly," she said with a smile.

"Ah, taking out the vet witch then? Your knightly toughness oughtta make ya perfect for that." Kyoko returned the smile.

"See you on the other side." Kyoko nodded. "On three. One. Two. Three! Charge!"

As the knight and the samurai charged together into glorious battle, their furious battle cries echoed across the wasteland.

* * *

"Well, that was disappointing," Kyoko announced cheerfully as she and Sayaka were put on their knees before the mighty witches.

"Fools," Homura intoned grimly, "You could never hope to defeat us. Prepare to meet your maker." Without another word she knelt, and began the ritual for the spell that would end it all.

Sayaka turned to Kyoko. "If I had to go out, I'm glad I'm going out with you."

"Going out with me?" Kyoko echoed with an eyebrow raised.

"Not-not like that, stupid!" Was it hot, all of a sudden? Sayaka was pretty sure it was really hot all of a sudden.

"Heh, I know what ya mean." Kyoko smirked. "Same here. Glad I get to see the end with an awesome knight."

"The samurai was pretty awesome too." They smiled at each other, and then raised their heads high and proud, ready to meet the end.

"Take thi-"

"Waaaaaait!" Madoka interrupted. "The friendship and hope between these guys has touched the princess' heart, reminding her of the good inside everyone. She fights back against the evil curse the witch put on her, and takes the evil witch by surprise with a powerful spell!"

"Nooooooo!" Homura cried in mock despair, twirling dramatically as she fell to the ground.

"And so the day is saved!"

"By the princess?" Kyoko asked.

"Yup," Madoka answered confidently.

"To be honest, that's usually how these things end, Kyoko," Sayaka informed her.

"I'm just sayin', ain't we supposed to be rescuin' the princess, not the other way around?"

"I don't know," an adult, friendly voice put in, "Sounds like a pretty cool feminist message to me."

"Papa!" Madoka gleefully exclaimed, rushing into his arms.

"Hey, kiddo. Did you save the day again?"

"Yup!"

"Mom's going to be so proud." He finally took notice of Kyoko. "Who's your new friend, Madoka?"

"This is Kyoko, papa! She's really, really cool!"

"Heh, I'm not  _that_  cool," Kyoko replied, rubbing the back of her head bashfully.

"Please, you so are," Sayaka retorted, nudging her with her elbow.

"That's what I've always told her," said a man dressed in priestly robes. He had a small, friendly smile that reminded Sayaka a lot of Mr. Kaname.

"Are you Kyoko's father?" Mr. Kaname asked.

"Indeed I am. Satoshi Sakura," he introduced himself, shaking Mr. Kaname's hand.

"Tomohisa Kaname," he returned.

"I thought taking her to the park would be fun for her, and so far it seems like I've been proven right."

"They seemed to have a lot of fun with her too."

"How could they not?" Mr. Sakura began, wrapping an arm around Kyoko's neck. "She's my kind, wonderful angel, after all."

"Daaaaaad!" Kyoko whined, blushing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kyoko. I meant to say, you're my ultra cool, super tough gal who... took on a million rhinos. Single handedly. With a pencil." The other kids giggled as Kyoko continued to whine. He rubbed her head affectionately. "Did you have a lot of fun with your new friends, sweetie?" Kyoko looked at Sayaka and gave a small smile, causing Sayaka's heart to beat fast again.

"Yeah, I did."

"Well then," Mr. Sakura began with a smile. "If it's alright with you and your kids, I would like to arrange for more hanging out."

"Well, only Madoka is mine. I'm just watching Homura and Sayaka for their parents. But I'm fine with her and Kyoko hanging out in the future, and if you give me your phone number I can pass it along to their parents, give you theirs, and you can discuss it with them?"

Mr. Sakura nodded. "That sounds wonderful."

The two walked off to the side to arrange things, and as soon as her father let go of her, Kyoko bounced back over to her friends with a huge grin on her face. "Ya hear that? We're gonna get to hang out more!"

"Course we are!" Sayaka exclaimed, wearing just as big a grin, "I told you, Kyoko, you're stuck with us."

Kyoko gave Sayaka another look. "Long as you're stuck with me too, that ain't so bad." Sayaka's heart was going pitter patter again, so she glanced away and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"Your dad is really nice," Madoka said.

"He's so embarrassing," Kyoko complained, "But yeah. He's awesome."

"Awesome, you say?" Mr. Sakura asked, he and Mr. Kaname returning to them. "You know that now I am going to bring up the fact you said that constantly for at  _least_ three days now, right?"

"Dad! Stop being such a square!"

"I cannot do that," he solemnly stated. "God made fathers to embarrass daughters. It is out of my hands. I cannot go against His will."

"Square."

He chuckled. "Alright, Kyoko. Time to head home."

"I-I can play with them again later, right?"

He smiled. "It looks that way." Kyoko beamed. "Now say goodbye to your friends."

"See ya, Homura and Madoka!"

"Can't wait to play again!"

"S-see you soon, Kyoko!"

"And Sayaka, don't get lame and 'mature' while I'm gone, got me?"

"Course not! Where would that leave my samurai buddy?"

"And thanks. For inviting me to play."

"You're thanking me? You're welcome, but you helped me out way more."

"If ya say so." Kyoko lightly tapped Sayaka's forehead, and gave another stupidly beautiful smile. "See ya around, hard head."

As Kyoko and her father walked away, and Sayaka's heart pounded in her ears, she thought about how Kyoko made her feel. She really wanted to be Kyoko's friend, and now she was, but... it was different than how she felt about Madoka or Hitomi or Homura. It was closer to Kyouske. She sighed happily.

She couldn't wait to see her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much thanks to Professor-Piggy for editing.


	7. Hatred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayaka goes and sees one of the parents.

Hey. It's just me this time. This is probably the only time it's gonna be just you and me. Kyoko doesn't know I'm here. But after coming along with her a few times, seeing what she has to go through... I have to say my piece too.

I hate you.

I hate you so damn much. On the scale of things I hate, the one thing that can rival you is a soulless alien cat thing who uses innocent girls as his pawns and sends them to their death. So you should be proud of that, I guess. I hate you for a  _lot_  of reasons. I hate you for what you did, of course.  _Nothing_ excuses that. Especially not your pathetic attempts to justify what you were doing. No father could  _ever_ kill his wife and daughter, his own little girl, and be anything but a monster. You're not a victim, you're not a poor guy who made a mistake. You're pathetic, and vile, and you deserve to be rotting in jail or to have been executed by the court. You should have faced justice, let Kyoko get some closure. That's the least you owe her. But instead, you took the easy way out. Was it guilt, you piece of  _filth_? What, you couldn't have had that bout of guilt when you were just  _thinking_  about doing that to your family? You only stopped to think 'Gee, this is an awful thing I did!'  _after_  you killed them? Heck, I bet even that's giving you too much credit. Was it shame? Over raising a 'witch'? Or...or did you think you were doing them a favor? Leading them to the Promised Land? Saving them from exposure to the witch - or hell, the exposure to a piece of shit failure of a father?

Sorry, I don't usually curse. I'll make an exception for you, though. Anyway; as much as I hate you for what you did, I hate you just as much for what you're still doing. Kyoko's still hurting over you. She'll probably  _always_  be hurting over you. And the worst part is, she blames herself. She blames herself for what  _you_  did. For the death of her entire family. Can you imagine how that must feel, to have that weight on your shoulders? Especially when you're just a teenager? I can't. She should be going to school in the morning, eating some breakfast her mom laid out for her, while Momo teases her about me and they bicker while you're doing... I don't know. Anything besides  _killing them!_  I wouldn't be able to handle that. I would've been crushed by the despair and the grief. At the least, I would've hated the world. I would've hated everyone, everything. I'd just give up on loving anything ever again.

Not Kyoko. She still loves. She opens her heart to so many people because she  _just can't help it,_  because she's  _that_  amazing. She saved me. She loves me. And I don't even want to  _think_ about life without her. She's the strongest, kindest, most amazing person I've ever met, and I'm proud just to  _know_  her, let alone be her girlfriend! And the fact you couldn't see that, that you saw her as a monster despite being her own  _father_ , disgusts me. All her greatness, all her strength, all her... her  _Kyokoness_. It didn't happen because of you. It happened in  _spite_  of you.

She doesn't know that, though. Do you know how many times she's woken up, screaming or sobbing, because she dreamt about what you did? Do you know how many times I've seen fear in her eyes, when we've kissed? Fear that you'd disapprove of this too, throw it in her face and call her impure? Do you know how many times I've tried to get her to see how incredible she is, only to know that she doesn't believe it, that she  _can't_  believe it because dear old daddy called her a witch, a monster, and killed himself and her family because of her? It wasn't because of her, though. You know that! It's because you are a worthless, disgusting, evil piece of  _shit_  who let your own self righteous bullshit and your pathetic pride blind you to what you had! A loving wife, an adorable, clever daughter... and a hero. A hero who in one day helps more people than you did in your entire life. You should be there, dammit! You should be here for her, when she doubts herself. You should be there to pick her up and help her and give her confidence! You should be there to tell her how proud of her you are! To be overprotective about her dating, to be the dorky embarrassing dad! When we get married - and yeah I admit it, I want to get married to her someday. I want to wake up beside her every morning and fall asleep next to her every night, to spend my whole life with her. Unlike you. Because I see what you  _never_  could. I see how amazing she really is. You should have seen that. And when we get married, you should be there to walk her down the aisle!

You should be  _here_. For  _her._

If there is a hell, I hope you're rotting in it. I hope you regret what you did, and who you were. I hope you see what you squandered, and just how good of a daughter Kyoko is. I hope you see her mourning you, and know you don't deserve it. I'll see you again, when Kyoko brings me with her the next time she needs to talk. The next time she just falls to her knees and cries, and I have to pick up the pieces you broke. And I hope you disapprove of me all the way down there, and think I'm an awful fit for your daughter. I hope it riles you up and gives you one more reason to be miserable.

Rest in unending pain and anguish, you bastard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Professor_Piggy edited, as always. While a lot of this is due to Sayaka's black and white, judgmental nature, I'd be lying if I said a lot of my own views on Mr. Sakura didn't bleed into this one. Hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Nursing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayaka learns her powers do more than she thought.

No. No no no no _no_. It wasn't happening. It was _not happening_.

“Kyoko! _Kyoko!_ ” Sayaka was shouting, worry and panic bleeding into her voice as she grasped Kyoko's hand with all her might. “Stay with me. You _idiot_ , why would you do that!?”

Kyoko shot her that stupid, perfect grin, wincing even as she did, and said, “My partner was in trouble, so I saved her. That’s… that’s what partners do, right? And hey - is calling me an idiot any way to reward your savior? I could be wrong, but I _think_ common protocol… is a kiss.”

“This is no time for _jokes_ , Kyoko!”

 _Sayaka? Kyoko?_ Mami’s voice in their heads, tinged with concern. _I heard Kyoko scream. It sounded bad, is she alright?_

"Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, _mom_. Just focus on gettin' rid of Walpurgisnacht’s minions for Homura, okay?”

Sayaka glared at her, and intejected, “She’s _not_ fine! She-she pushed me out of the way of a falling thing and got herself impaled and thank God it missed her Soul Gem but it still looks bad and we’re both out of Grief Seeds and-”

 _I’m on my way there right now!_ Mami assured, voice almost as composed as ever, but betraying the the slightest hint of fear that Sayaka couldn’t miss. She guessed Kyoko couldn’t either.

 _Kyoko’s survival is important._ Homura piped up. _I’ll be able to handle myself until your return, Mami._

“No! Come _on_ , you two, you know better! This… this is too important to risk on me. Me and Sayaka got Walpurgisnacht reeling, and now might be your only chance! Mami needs to keep her minions off of you so you can blow Wally sky high! You _need_ to do this before Wally gets her second wind!”

“No!” Sayaka exclaimed. “Kyoko… Kyoko needs to get healed up, it’s important for-for the fight, right, Homura? Homura, _tell her!_ ”

 _Kyoko…_ Homura began, as if she was struggling to find an argument against it.

“I didn’t get hurt like this for my health, you guys. You _need_ to finish it. That’s what I came here for, and I won’t have myself… getting impaled… for nothin'.”

 _...Kyoko._ Mami began, the shaking in her voice become worse with each word. _Hold on. We-we will finish Walpurgisnacht as quickly as we can, and there will be plenty of Grief Seeds to spare, just like you wanted. You will be_ _ **fine**_ _._

“Heh. ...Mami? Did I… did I ever say sorry? I probably should, huh?” Sayaka clenched her teeth. Too serious. Too final. They could all hear it in her voice. That… wasn’t a good sign.

_No. And there was never any need, because you were always forgiven - and I promise, when this fight is done, I’ll bake some cake, just the way you like it. Just like old times. I promise!_

"There’s no better incentive than your cake, Mami,” Kyoko joked. “And Homura? I-”

_No. No last words. Not today. We will all live. Especially you, Kyoko Sakura. You are far too stubborn for anything else... I will, however, say one thing. Thank you, Kyoko. For more than you could know._

“Heh, thanks. Coming from miss time loop girl, getting a comment about my stubbornness means a lot. And you’re welcome. Now shut up and kick Wally’s ass for me! Sayaka’s got my back, and she’s been staring at it long enough to know how to protect it. I’ll be _fine._ Focus on the fight!” Mami and Homura mentally checked out of the conversation, but Sayaka could feel their renewed determination and drive to end the battle as quickly as possible. Kyoko turned her head towards Sayaka and grinned shakily, almost as if in defiance of her pain, in defiance of the current situation. “We should… we should talk privately, huh?”

Sayaka shook her head strongly. “There-there'll be a lot of time to talk later, Kyoko! You can-you can joke around and be a butt and then be really, really sweet when I least expect it and then ruin the moment by-by asking for food and all of that _later_ , okay!? _After_ this. You need… you need to conserve your strength, okay?” Kyoko shook her head, and that grin got a little bit sadder.

“Nah. I know… I know when I’m done. We’re out of grief seeds, the others have to stop Walpurgisnacht, the injury’s pretty bad and I’m runnin' out of magic… this is it.”

“Don’t say that!” Sayaka begged. She could feel the tears coming, and she tried to hold them back because she knew Kyoko didn’t want to see them - not right now. But she couldn't. “You… you never give up. You _always_ keep on fighting, no matter what, and-and I need you, okay!? I need you _so much -_ more than anything. You _saved_ me and made me believe that the world could be good again, that _I_ could be good again and...and you make me happy. Make me smile and laugh and I-I love seeing your grin, and that little smile, and-and your fang and I-I feel like-like I’m alive, really alive, whenever I’m with you - that’s when I’m _living_ , and I’ve only known you for a few weeks, but it feels like I always have and I want to know you for-forever, so-so you… you can’t go. _Please_.”

Kyoko's grin fell away, and she looked... sad. Somehow that tore Sayaka’s heart up just as much. “I’m sorry, Saya. I… I really am. You… god this hurts, so-so I’m sorry, if this isn’t eloquent, but… but you’re my best friend. More, really.”

“Don’t stop!” Sayaka pleaded, gripping Kyoko’s hand tighter.

“Bantering with you, fighting with you, being with you… it’s the most I’ve felt at peace since… ever. It felt so _right_. Like it was what I was meant to do. You… you saved me too. You… you gave me hope, and something to fight for. Something to _live_ for, really.”

“Exactly, so just-just keep on living!”

“Meeting you.. it was the best moment of my life. It… it made everything more than worth it, and this… this ain’t your fault. I need you to know that. Don’t go beatin' yourself up over it. I can’t… I can’t stand to see you hurt, so... so dying so you won’t? I can accept that.”

“You aren’t going to die, I swear. You _can’t!_ ”

“I think… becoming a Witch, you have to be in misery, right? You have to be filled with overwhelming regret? I don’t… I don’t have that. Going out like this, for you… I’m at peace with that. So I don’t think… I don’t think I’ll become a Witch, I think I’ll just… die, but if I’m wrong, you…”

“It. Won’t. Happen.” Sayaka steadfastly refused.

“Heh. Stubborn ass. Guess that was part of why we got along so well, huh? You… you made me so happy. Figures it couldn’t last. But I shouldn’t get greedy - a few… a few moments in heaven is better than none, right? You… you were home… and god, I’m sorry, I should’ve… I should’ve said this way sooner but I was too chickenshit, and it’s so _cowardly_ to say this on my way out, but I… I kinda really lov-”

“ _No,_ ” Sayaka cut her off, certain and steely. Her other hand grabbed Kyoko’s as well, and she held it with all her strength. “You don’t… you don’t get to say that. Not like this. Cause I have to say it too, and both of us _will_ say it. The right way. When... when we’re both fine, and have the future in front of us. That’s-that’s when we’ll say it. And we _will_ say it, because you are Kyoko Sakura!”

Sayaka could feel… something pouring out from her, and shrugged it off. It was just catharsis, as she dared the world to take Kyoko from her. “Sayaka-” Kyoko began, but she wasn’t finished.

“No, listen! You are _strong_ , and the most stubborn person I’ve ever met besides me. And you _never_ leave a person alone, which is what you’d do to me if you left! I need you, and I’m the other most stubborn person I’ve met, so when the two of us together demand that you stay, you _will_.” Sayaka took in her surroundings, and noted with confusion that the area around them was glowing blue. It didn’t matter. She had to focus on Kyoko.

“Sayaka-”

“Let me finish, okay? And-and we’ll keep awkwardly flirting with each other and making each other blush and stutter, fighting together like-like we’re one person split in two. We’ll make the stupidest jokes and spend half the time pretending we don't both think they're funny and the other half cracking up and-and we’ll just stay. Here. _Home_. Got that?” Finished with her speech, breathing heavily, she looked down at Kyoko and noticed that.. that all that remained of Kyoko's wound was a thin, fading scar. “What…”

“I tried to tell ya,” Kyoko began with a smirk, “So uh... did you just find out you could do that now, or did you just wanna save it for the right moment? Cause I don’t blame ya if it was the second, that speech was real badass and kinda hot, so brav-” She was interrupted by Sayaka leaping at her and engulfing her in a tight hug.

“I thought… I was so afraid I would lose you!” she was sobbing, Kyoko’s face melted into an expression of sympathy and compassion and care as she wrapped her arms tenderly around Sayaka and held her close.

“I was too. But you didn’t. I’m still here. Cause you're _amazing_.”

“I… I’m sorry, I’m crying like a baby when you were the one impaled and I-”

“Hey, hey, no, it’s fine. I like the crying. Wait, uh, that sounds bad, I uh, don’t like you crying, it actually hurts my soul, but… but you should let out whatever you have to when I’m around, okay? And I’m… I’m glad. That you care so much.” Sayaka broke the hug, and glared at Kyoko with red eyes.

“Of course I care, i-idiot! And I swear, if you ever get yourself impaled trying to save me again, I’ll heal you just so I can stab you again for being so s-stupid!”

“Hey, no fair! I can’t heal you and then stab ya when you’re being stupid enough to almost get impaled! That doesn’t seem right, in my opinio-” Kyoko was interrupted by a resounding explosion, and the cackling, piercing sound of Walpurgisnacht’s death cry. Or laugh. Whatever. They could see the Grief Seeds falling, and grins formed on their faces.

“Is it… is it really over?” Sayaka asked.

 _No, Sayaka Miki,_ Homura’s telepathic voice dryly put in. _The Grief Seeds falling are just a daring and clever gambit by Walpurgisnacht, and my explosion was just a prank her and I set up to brighten your mood._

“H-Homura!” Sayaka sputtered. “How much did you hear?”

_Not much. I was somewhat too preoccupied fighting for my life against the most dangerous of all witches to listen in to your love confessions, do not worry._

“T-there weren't any love confessions!” Sayaka denied, feeling her cheeks burn.

 _There weren’t?_ Mami chimed in gently, sounding both amused and relieved,  _Kyoko, I'm so disappointed in you! A near death experience is the perfect time to confess – at least according to all the novels!_

“Sorry for letting you down, Mami, but hey, I’m alive! Doesn’t that count for something?”

_...It counts for so much, Kyoko._

“Aw, geez. Don’t you go getting sappy on me too! At least not _before_ you make good on that cake you promised me!” Mami chuckled happily, and Kyoko's grin faded a little. “And uh... sorry, you guys. For letting you face Walpurgisnacht alone.”

 _Don’t be ridiculous_ , Homura reprimanded. _The two of you gave me the opening I needed, and weakened Walpurgisnacht to the point where I was able to finish it. You were invaluable. ...You have my thanks._

“You have ours too!” Sayaka exclaimed, and Kyoko nodded in agreement.

_Mami is on her way to get you the Grief Seeds, Kyoko. Just hold on._

“Oh, no, no!” Kyoko hastily reassured them. “I’m fine right now! Sayaka healed me!”

_...Did she now?_

“Yeah, I did! I guess some things can still surprise you, huh Homura?”

_...Indeed they can. It figures Kyubey would not mention this capability of Sayaka’s, prone as he is to withholding information he feels does not need to be shared. Considering Sayaka’s wish, however, I should’ve realized....Forgive me._

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Kyoko reassured, waving off Homura’s apology. “It turned out okay.”

_You two are alright then?_

“Yeah, we are, Mami. Go check on Homura. I think… I think we need a moment alone.”

_Oooooh, here’s the confession! Do not worry. I won’t listen in. Much._

“M-Mami! Stop being so embarrassing, god!” Mami giggled happily, but a moment later it cut short.

_...You know… I'm glad you are alright, don’t you?_

“...Yeah. I know. I’m… really happy you’re okay too.”

_And of course, the same goes for you, Sayaka._

“Thanks, I was worried about you two too!”

_We will give you some time… alone, then rendezvous at Mami’s and I’s location. Understood?_

“Did you have to say alone like that, Homura?” Sayaka grumbled.

 _Like what?_ Homura tried to pass off innocently, but Sayaka could _hear_ the mirth and teasing in her voice. After that, the two of them checked out, and Sayaka and Kyoko were left alone.

“...So,” Kyoko started.

“So,” Sayaka replied.

“I uh… I kinda remember that I was… was going to confess something before you so rudely interrupted me, and you had… had something similar to confess too, but you wanted us to wait until we were okay, s-so… here we are. Okay. W-with the future ahead of us and everything.”

“Y-yeah…”

“...Should I go first or...”

“W-well, you did save me from impalement, s-so I think the confession falls on you.”

“Y-yeah, but _you_ saved me from dying! It should be _you_ who goes first!”

“L-let’s just say it at the same time then!”

“Fine!”

“One,” they began counting together, “Two…. Three!”

“I love you!” they both blurted, both turning matching shades of red.

“O-okay then.” Kyoko spoke first. “I… I kinda made my big love speech beforehand…”

“S-same here.”

“So uh… skip to the date plans then?”

“...Okay. There’s… there’s an amusement park that has a-a really fun teacup ride. We could… we could ride that, and the-the Ferris wheel, and-and stuff?”

"...That sounds perfect. Really, I mean it, I just… thanks. For-for feeling the same… you know.”

“Heh, here I was, about to thank you. You’ve… you’ve seen me at my worst, and you still…”

“Even at your worst, you’re still the best. ...That was so cheesy, please forget I ever said that.”

Sayaka giggled, and did a small hop so she’d be right in front of Kyoko’s face. “Nope! That was really sweet! It’s gonna stay here in my head so that I can squeal about it tonight in my bed.”

“Heh. Course it is.”

“...So. You said there was a protocol for this. Savior gets a kiss? Well, I saved you, you saved me… I think we uh… both deserve kisses, right?” Once again, their faces burned crimson.

“U-uh, y-yeah, of course! That’s… that’s how these stories with hope and courage and love are supposed to end, right? Heheheh…” Sayaka slowly leaned in, and Kyoko followed her lead, until finally…

It was the perfect fairytale ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After only four months, a new oneshot! GASP. Anyway, this was based an ask sent to my Tumblr that goes thusly: "Nurse Me-Kyoko and Sayaka." Thanks once again to my editor Professor_Piggy. Hope you liked!


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